BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1277
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Senator S. Joseph Simitian, Chairman
2007-2008 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 1277
AUTHOR: Maldonado
AMENDED: March 24, 2008
FISCAL: Yes HEARING DATE: April 7, 2008
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Caroll
Mortensen
SUBJECT : SYNTHETIC TURF
SUMMARY :
Existing law :
1)Requires all new playgrounds open to the public to meet
specified health and safety requirements.
2)Establishes the California Tire Recycling Act (Public
Resources Code 42870 et seq. ). The Act requires the
California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) to
initiate a tire recycling program that promotes and develops
alternatives to the landfill disposal of used tires.
This bill :
1) Defines synthetic turf to mean any composition material
that includes crumb rubber used to cover or surface a field
as an alternative to grass.
2) Requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) by September
1, 2010 to prepare and make available to the public a study
on the best management practices for the maintenance of
synthetic turf, including cleaning practices to prevent the
spread of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) and other bacteria.
COMMENTS :
1)Purpose of Bill . According to the author, synthetic turf is
growing in popularity due to numerous benefits. The fields
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require no mowing, watering, fertilizing, seeding, aerating,
pesticides or expensive maintenance equipment. However, a
dangerous disadvantage of synthetic turf is the possible
spread of MRSA, bacteria and other organisms. The New
England Journal of Medicine, Clinical Infectious Disease
Center and a long list of clinical hospital studies have
long supported the fact that MRSA bacteria can survive on
and be transferred by inanimate objects in the environment
from towels, to garments, athletic equipment and
polyethylene (a plastic used in synthetic turf fibers).
2)What is Synthetic Turf? Synthetic turf is the next
generation of artificial turf. It more closely resembles
natural turf and is much different that the 'astroturf' of
old. Most synthetic turf installed today is a layered
system that includes a drainage layer, a backing system, and
'grass blades' that are infilled to resemble natural turf.
The filler is a soil-like substance created with sand and/or
granulated recycled tire rubber or other materials that
provide the necessary stability, uniformity, and resiliency.
The popularity of synthetic turf results from the benefits
of providing a consistent year-round, all-weather playing
surface built to withstand extended use without downtime for
poor weather. It is low maintenance; it does not have to be
mowed; nor does it need water for irrigation, pesticides or
fertilizers.
The use of synthetic turf goes beyond just sports fields. It
is being used by local governments to replace traditional
turf near roadways and medians and around public buildings.
It is also growing in popularity as an alternative to
traditional residential lawns. With estimates that indicate
about one half of the residential water use is for
irrigation of lawns, the potential for synthetic turf as a
substitute for traditional lawns is increasingly attractive.
3)Tires and Turf . According the CIWMB, used tires pose a
serious health and safety threat and a severe environmental
hazard. It is estimated that Californians will purchase
almost 200 million tires over the next 5 years, increasing
the threat used tires pose if they are not properly managed.
Currently about 75% of used tires are diverted from
landfill disposal. The IWMB's goal is 90% diversion by 2015.
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Used tires are a resource that can be used in place of new
materials. Used tires are in dozens of products including
floor mats, track and playground surfaces, roadway and
construction applications, and can be used in just about any
product that utilizes rubber. The use of used tires as a
source of crumb rubber for synthetic turf is one of these
emerging end-uses. The application of synthetic turf to a
typical football field can use up to 100 tons of rubber.
This rubber can be supplied through the processing of about
22,000 used tires.
The CIWMB's program, funded by a fee on new tires sold in
California, on average provides approximately $14 million
annually for market development efforts for used tires.
Most of this money goes out in the form of grants to assist
with the purchase of products made from used tires to
stimulate markets. The CIWMB has provided grants to local
government agencies to install synthetic turf fields. The
funds are also used to investigate emerging markets.
4)Emerging Issues: More Data Required on Crumb Rubber in Turf .
Crumb rubber from tires inherently contains many
potentially harmful constituents that are released when the
tires are worn by everyday driving. Some of these
constituents remain after the tire is no longer usable and
can be present when they are processed for recycling and
re-used in products. Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, zinc, and
iron are often found in varying quantities in used tires.
They have been also shown to release volatile organic
compounds. As the author has indicated, the issue of staph
infections, including MRSA (a strain that is particularly
resistant to the common treatments from the penicillin
family of antibiotics) and a possible relationship to
synthetic turf has also arisen. There are competing bodies
of work on these issues with a lack of scientifically
significant conclusions.
5)Recommendations: Additional Areas of Study . The introduced
version of this bill required DPH to prepare a health study
on synthetic turf. The bill was amended to look just at the
MRSA bacteria issue. However, it might be prudent at this
time to investigate all issues surrounding the use of
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synthetic turf. Also, since natural turf presents
environmental and public safety effects through the use of
pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation requirements, the
study should include a comparison of synthetic turf to
natural turf. Another topic of debate is the heat island
effect of synthetic turf and its environmental effects that
should also be investigated.
6)Efforts Elsewhere . New York has a bill pending, A09503,
that would place a moratorium on the installation of
synthetic fields for six months or until their Department of
Public Health completes a report on synthetic turf.
In Connecticut, their Department of Public Health is involved
in the issue and has issued a fact sheet. In summary, while
they do not believe there is a unique or significant health
threat from chemical releases that can be inhaled or
ingested, the uncertainties warrant further investigation.
In San Francisco, the Recreation and Parks department in
December 2005 published Natural and Synthetic Turf: A
Comparative Analysis which pointed to the benefits of
increased use of synthetic turf. However, in January 2007,
their director of the Department of the Environment
requested that the Recreations and Parks Department outline
concerns similar to those being raised.
7)Double Referral to Rules Committee . Should this measure be
approved by this committee, the do pass motion must include
the action to re-refer the bill to the Senate Committee on
Rules for further review.
SOURCE : Senator Maldonado
SUPPORT : None on file
OPPOSITION : BAS Recycling, Inc.
CRM Company
Environmental Molding Concepts
FieldTurf USA
Francisco Heights Civic Association
Rubber Manufacturers Association
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